Suspected militants fired on a passenger plane when it was landing in Pakistan’s Pehawar airport, killing a woman passenger and injuring two flight stewards.
Islamabad, June 25/Nationalturk – A woman passenger was killed and two flight stewards injured when suspected militants fired on a passenger plane in Peshawar airport in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan on Tuesday night.
“Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing PK-756 with 178 passengers on board was returning from Saudi capital Riyadh when it was fired upon at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan airport last evening,” security officials said.
They said the passenger plane was hit by about six bullets and militants had apparently fired from outside airport. “A woman passenger and two flight stewards sustained bullet injuries. They were evacuated to hospital, where the woman succumbed to injuries”.
Officials said one bullet struck the plane’s engine. “The militants fired volley of bullets at the airplane when it was preparing to land at the airport”.
The Civil Aviation Authority briefly suspended flight operation at the airport but the flight operation was later restored.
Search operation launched, over 200 suspected detained
Immediately after the attack, police and security men laid siege around the airport premises and adjoining areas and launched a massive combing operation to arrest the attackers.
Sources said security forces have arrested over 200 suspected people during the operation that continued the whole night.
No militant group has claimed the responsibility of the attack so far but police officials apprehend it could be the handiwork of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists.
The attack came days after Pakistani military launched a ground operation codenamed Zarb-e-Azb against militants in North Waziristan tribal agency. The operation was launched five days after after 10 heavily-armed terrorists stormed Pakistan’s busiest Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. About 39 people including 10 attackers, some of whom where Uzbekis, were killed.
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Asia News / NationalTurk Pakistan News
